The Chronicle said it's unclear whether any of the meetings or appearances will be open to the public or media. Obama is no stranger to the region, having most recently attended a fund-raising dinner at Google's Marisa Mayer's house in Palo Alto and a meeting with Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Google's Eric Schmidt is also a member of the president's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, so it wouldn't be surprising if a multicolored building in Mountain View has extra security on Thursday.

Obama's not confining his tech-oriented visit to California, with plans to visit Intel's massive chip manufacturing and research facilities just outside Portland, Ore., on Friday, according to The Oregonian.